T - really complex malt forward flavor that has a surprising amount of Bittering hops to even it out. The complex malt is greatly enjoyable with tons of candi sugar, molasses, toffee, and raisin notes. The Bittering hops are spot on for what's needed to support the heavy malt character, surprisingly for something from Scotland, would have figured it would be more subdued. I also feared diacetyl, I sensed some in the nose, however the taste was clean and it's presence was only slight. Oak was also very slight but was present and played well this balanced brew.

M - mouthfeel is on par for the style, ample carbonation.

O - overall a great example of the style, looks amazing and the complex smooth malt flavor is accentuated well with ample hop bitterness. Very drinkable, but still complex and enjoyable. (1,023 characters)

Deep crimson-dark bronze with orange accents at the periphery; a truly stunning color when run through with sunlight. The cap is small in size and pale brown sugar in color. It doesn't appear as if much lace will be forthcoming, but the rest more than makes up for it. This beer isn't a stunner, but it's definitely a looker.

The nose fits the style to a 'T'. My only (admittedly minor) complaint is that it could be a tad more complex. I smell heavily toasted dark malt, along with more than a little dark fruitiness. I expect some smoke and/or peat with my Scotch ales, but don't pick up any here.

Traquair House Ale tastes remarkably like it smells... 'cept better. There's a more than solid malt undercarriage that provides flavors of dark butterscotch, treacle and even cocoa. As in the nose, dark fruits are front and center, with sticky dates, dried figs and raisins leading the way. There's now a wee bit of smoke and a pinch of peat that limns this portrait of a classic wee heavy.

I can also appreciate just a whisper of well-integrated alcohol that isn't bothersome in the least. Port wine notes weave in and out; or at least they would be port wine-like if they were more concentrated and more forceful. The mouthfeel is in the upper ranges of medium with a light (just right) degree of mouthcoating. That ever so slight syrupiness promotes appreciation of the deep flavor profile long after the swallow.

Traquair House Ale is the second best wee heavy (Belhaven) to ever cross my lips. I love this style and I wish more breweries would dedicate themselves to making just such a rich, complex, traditional Scotch ale as the one I just consumed. If you love this style as well, this one should be on your short list of 'must tries'. (1,755 characters)

Pours a very nice brown with a slight reddish hue with a light head,aroma is sweet and malty with some oaky aromas as well.Taste is rich and malty with alcohol notes.Some dried fruit flavors linger with some definent oak hints as well.Incredibly well made a nice beer to savor before bed. (288 characters)

Appearance: a very drak brown/mohagany pour with a minimal off-white head.

Smell: The nose is sweet with licorice & molasses. Hints of caramel. Also some dark fruits such as plum & grape. Port like and warm.

Taste: The sweetness is toned down here. Nice maltiness and very light hints of molaases and plum. Light roasted flavour here as well. A warm alcohol kick makes it a great sipper. A complex & mature beer with fine underlyimg flavours that don't overpower the palate.

Mouthfeel: Lively and and fullfilling. Soem bubbliness without being "full".

Drinkability: A great ale. This is my perfect winter warmer or fireplace sipping drink. A classic. (663 characters)

Smell  The dark fruit aromas come on strong and right away with this one. Dates, plums, and raisins are easy to pick up. The fig smell along with a faint yeasty scent reminds me of a Fig Newton. However you describe it, this one is serious.

Taste  This is especially complex. In fact, it has a new facet of the taste that Ive never had before. Ill call it the pre-game show.

The pre-game show has a lot to do with the aroma. The taste splits the fruits in half, sending the lighter ones in first that I missed when rating the smell. Theres some spicy apple, a tinge of banana, and artificial sugars. This is followed by the dark malt and yeast flavors, which are understated. The big part of the taste, the dark fruits from the aroma, brings up the rear of the body. The finish is a dash of alcohol and coffee.

All very confusing. This would be a great one to discuss at a brewpub.

Mouthfeel  A little bit of carbonation, but mostly the smoothness sticks out. How they got all of these flavors to work together so well Ill never know.

Drinkability  This is a lot of fun to drink. Youd have to be dead not to enjoy it.

Update: I sampled this again in 2004. It was as complex as I remember it before. I picked up a lot more chocolate and coffee. Im not changing any of the ratings but once again highly recommend this offering from Traquair House. (1,457 characters)

A very good ale, refreshing with grassy and licorice notes. Mouthfeel is probably the best I have had in an ale and with a lack of any real hoppy flavor, it leaves a clean, earthy taste in the mouth. 7.2 abv is well hidden and makes this beer almost worth the price. (266 characters)

A: Dark brown with big ruby hues. A 2 cm light-beige creamy head that settles after a while. Nice lacings.

S: A nice and big smell of malts, brown sugar, some chocolate and som coffee. Plenty of prominent fruity aromas. Some spices. Faint hint of alcohol. A very nice smell with plenty of depth.

T: Plenty of malts with a dense and sweet character. The malts has a slight caramel-like character, but even more so of candy sugar and brown sugar. Fudge and notes of chocolate. Tasty vinous fruits (cherries, blackberries). In the finish there is notes of wood, dry coffee notes, spicy alcohol and some herbs.

M: Rather full-bodied, soft and creamy texture. Well balanced carbonation.

D: A very tasty beer with rich aromas. Rather complex and well balanced. Has somewhat of a sophisticated expression. (849 characters)

T/M: soft and creamy body, good carbonation level, a little thin and weak however. lacks some weight and viscosity for a style built around tons of malt. rich malt flavors, a split second of stale/sour notes, sugar, dark fruits like raisons. touches of coffee and even the butterscotch in the nose comes through. some bbq sauce, bbq'ed meat as well. finishes a tad watery and dry with a spot of hops, a one last emergence of the stale notes.

D: enjoyable for sure but for the price a once in a while kind of treat at best.

this is a nice beer, but for the money I am let down. I would like to enjoy it again but dont see myself opting for this often when so much else is available, better, and for less. (1,015 characters)

Had a bottle that poured very dark with a 2 inch head that quickly dissipated to one inch. It had a light scotch whiskey smell with a hint of juniper, but I had to practically stir the brew with my nose to get it. I liked the taste: Heavy malty flavor washes over the tongue with a nutty chocolate taste, but leaves a light impression, which makes for easier drinkibility in the long run. I didn't notice any strong alcohol taste despite the slight whisky smell, and at 7 percent, it's almost pushing it. The mouthfeel was rather watery. Interesting how the taste is rather bold, but the texture of the beer is not. (615 characters)

Sampled 11.2 oz bottle while brewing our own Wee Heavy. A-Deep Amber red/Brown, darker colors are mixed in-very little head. Interesting color.S-Very Earthy, Musty yeast, mild fruits. Again very interesting.T-Sweet at first, Caramel/Toffee and biscuit mal flavors, the middle tasty earthy like peat/Scotch with a very mild smoky flavor, Black tea flavor as well which was not terribly pleasant. A little bitterness but very little hop flavor.M-Very thin and watery with little carbonation. Mouth feel was disappointing on thie beer which lent to the tea flavor.D-Better than average as there are interesting flavors here but I wouldn't drink alot of these. Very subtle flavors and aroma. I'll try this again as my palate improves. (735 characters)

Pouring this into a pint glass produced an about average white head with average retention and lacing. There are some interesting things going on with the aroma, sort of a woody smell reminiscent of aged oak. I really liked the flavor of this one even though I typically like more of a balance between malts and hops. It has a way of allowing for the malt taste to come through in an earthy, nutty way but without all of the typical malt sweetness. The finish is shorter than you might think with more of that nutty malt flavor lingering for a bit.

Overall I thought this was very good, surprisingly good actually. It's a little hard to find around here in Raleigh but it's definitely worth a try if you can. (709 characters)

Appearance: Deep dark reddish brown with an elegant lace that shows potential in the mouthfeel.

Smell: Figgy, a little butterscotch, sweet and spicy alcohol and a malty nose that has depth to it.

Taste: Full bodied with a fat chewy malt backbone, low carbonation that leaves a nice smoothness throughout. Lots of flavour dancing around ... ripe fruit, sweet alcohol, a heavy hand of malt and a touch of butterscotch. A perfectly balanced hop bitterness leaves a small bite towards the end. Mocha, toasted malt and carob are in the finish with a fading hop character and a mellow earthy / oaky flavour.

Notes: Truly a pleasing brew ... sip and savour this delicate ale. Rich and complex with a perfect balance to make it that much more drinkable. One of the best ales that we have reviewed to date. This is more than just an ale ... it is an experience. (930 characters)

I wanted to try this beer after reading some of the reviews. I was a little disappointed. It was nice to look at and smell, but I didn't particularly like the taste. It was a medium to dark brown color with a sweet caramel odor. It had a sweet taste, with some hops, but a fairly yeasty aftertaste. It was thinner than I expected from its' appearance. A fair beer. (364 characters)

Sat very dark in the glass with little visible activity, wonderful champagne like aroma,lots of nice flavors happening, especially molasses and currant, because of its low carbonation, it had the smoothest of all possible textures, loses a little bit of its sweetness as it goes along, lots of setiment on bottom of glass. Wonderful stuff, a little pricey and the next morning I had some intestinal problems that I couldn't blame on anything but the beer. (455 characters)

Big pieces of toffee up front. Chewy caramels on toasted malts slowly emerge. Hints of rough, sanded barrel wood. Nose needs time to warm and open, but it's well worth waiting for, as the caramels on a touch of ABV come forward along with notes of sticky, fig-like fruit.

Darker caramels than the nose served on unfinished oak. Malt is well toasted, with hints of a very light roast underneath. Woody bitterness turns up in the finish and leaves the sugars dark and almost burnt.

Overall, just a bit too dark and bitter for my preferences in a Scotch Ale. If only the taste could feature more of the nose of caramel and toffee. (658 characters)